Chapter 14: Danzo's Plot

With Naruto back to normal, it was time to look for Sai. We returned to the area we last saw him, and my eyes were immediately drawn to the items on the ground. "Sai's things are scattered all over the place," Sakura said. "But why is this here?" She picked something rectangular from the ground. I stepped closer to look at it curiously.

"Isn't that the picture book he had earlier?" I asked.

Sakura nodded. "Sai valued this picture boo. But despite that, here it is in a place like this."

"If he had to leave something so valuable behind, it demonstrates that he was in a tense state in front of Orochimaru," said Yamato.

"You seem to know that as if you witnessed it yourself."

"Until earlier on I placed my wood clone here, and was in communication with it, using the wireless radio implanted here."

"What happened to Sai?" Naruto asked.

"After Sai's conversation with Orochimaru, he went away with Orochimaru and Kabuto."

"What does that mean?"

"What did they talk about?" asked Sakura.

"They were talking a distance away, so I couldn't make out the conversation," said Yamato.

"I wonder what they were talking about," I said thoughtfully.

"He might have been kidnapped and taken away," Naruto suggested.

Yamato shook his head. "No, it seems that he approached Orochimaru of his own volition and handed him something. It was just like he was trying to cozy up to Orochimaru."

Naruto's eyes went wide. "W-Wait a minute! Even a disgusting guy like him wouldn't betray us, would he?"

"No, there is a possibility," Sakura said, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Captain Yamato, do you know a person named Danzo?"

"Danzo?" I repeated. For some reason, the name gave me chills.

"Yes, I know him," said Yamato.

"Who is that guy?" said Naruto.

"A man from the Hawk Faction who in the past opposed the Third Hokage," Yamato replied.

"He's Sai's boss," said Sakura. "And an old gramps who doesn't think well of the Third Hokage's will."

"Danzo may be using Sai to make some kind of move. It's possible that Sai may have been given a mission by Danzo that is separate from ours. There is a possibility that he was charged with some kind of top-secret mission."

"So, he's just using our mission in order to make contact with Orochimaru?" said Sakura.

"How horrible," I said, feeling sick to my stomach.

"That's the gist of it," Yamato said grimly. "This may sound like an over-the-top theory, but it is not outside the realm of possibility, so listen carefully. Danzo may be trying to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village!"

"Hey, what do you mean by 'destroying the Leaf Village?'" said Naruto.

"I mean today's Leaf Village!"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Today's Leaf Village? That means, Lady Tsunade will-" Then he paused and shook his head. "Your story doesn't add up. I know Sai's boss used to oppose Old Man Third Hokage, but why do they have to destroy the Leaf Village or do something to Grandma Tsunade?"

"Did you forget, Naruto?" said Sakura. "Lady Tsunade used to be a favorite pupil of the Third."

"Besides that, the current regime of the Leaf Village was initiated by the Fifth Hokage, Lady Tsunade, and it obviously complies with the wishes of the Third," said Yamato. "Undoubtedly, Danzo is not happy about this, but most of the people in the village support the current regime, so the regime can't be changed easily. The only way to change the regime is to cause an earth-shaking event in the village."

"An event like the 'the Destruction of the Hidden Leaf Village' that Orochimaru set up."

Naruto gasped. "The destruction of the Hidden Leaf Village!"

"Hold on," I said. "You're saying that Danzo wants the entire Leaf Village to be run like he runs his organization that Sai's a part of? The one that despises emotions and only sees ninja as tools?"

Yamato nodded. "That's right."

I suddenly felt very sick. I already have problems with the Leaf Village, but Danzo would make it 100 times worse! "No way!"

"Danzo may be thinking about conspiring with Orochimaru and making him attack Leaf Village one more time in order to force Lady Tsunade from the position of Hokage."

"So, you're saying they want to destroy Leaf Village - just because of that?" said Naruto.

"It's not only because of that!" said Sakura. "He wants to build his ideal village after destroying the regime and return to center stage as Hokage. The reason why Danzo went into action at this late date is because he sees it's been three years since the last attack, so there has been enough time for Orochimaru to fully regain his forces."

"I think that's also part of it," said Yamato. "Or he may have thought Orochimaru is more cautious now because of the failure of the last attack. If he acts now, he thinks the negotiations with Orochimaru will get under way easily."

"That means he's going to propose cooperation from the village, right?"

"Yes."

"Wait a minute," said Naruto. "You mean Sai's secret mission is-"

"You mean, Sai's top secret mission is probably to earn Orochimaru's trust and serve as a liaison between Danzo and Orochimaru," said Sakura. "He thought the odds of him running into Orochimaru would be high if he was in our group."

Naruto's eyes grew wide. "That can't be!"

"If that's the case, then we might have to get rid of Sai," Yamato said grimly.

"Get rid of him? Get rid of Sai? No matter how you look at it, that's too hasty."

"Yeah," I agreed. "Maybe if we talked to him-"

Yamato ignored us. "Now, my clone is following them, but there's no way of knowing what's gonna happen. We're gonna get on their trail right away.

"But-" said Naruto.

"Okay!" Sakura said.

"Let's go!" said Yamato.

So, we set off in search of Sai. We did not get far before we had to take a break to allow Sakura to heal our injury. While she was taking care of that, Yamato talked to Naruto and me about our strategy when we reached Orochimaru's hideout.

"You guys, come here a minute!" Sakura called after suddenly. "Hurry!"

"Is something wrong, Sakura?" Naruto said as we all rushed over.

"Look at this." Sakura held up Sai's picture book. There appeared to be many drawings inside.

"Oh! That's Sai's. That's the picture book we picked up that Sai drew, huh? What's in it?"

"If we figure that out, we might be able to find out a little about Sai," said Yamato.

"Good idea," I said.

"Right," said Sakura. "That's what I was thinking, so I tried reading it, but-"

"What kind of a story is it?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Actually I don't really know."

"Why? What do you mean?"

"There are no words or dialogue at all."

"Well, it is a picture book," I said as we gathered behind Sakura to look at the book.

"You're right," said Naruto.

"It kind of looks like a story about the two boys on the front and back cover. And it's got the story of the two boys starting from both title pages of the book and progressing to the middle. When you look at the book starting with this boy with black hair the next page always has the same boy on the right page. And there's a different person drawn on each left page. See?"

"Huh? This is- Go back!" Naruto suddenly spoke excitedly, and Sakura turned the page back. "I knew it This kid looks a little different when you go to the next page."

"You're right. And look- He has the same weapon as the guy drawn on the previous page. Hmm, it looks like it's a story where the boy defeats enemies. Look at this. After fighting, he takes the enemy's weapon and armor. Just as I thought. The next page and the next page, too. Oh, come to think of it! I knew it. The positioning is reversed but, this boy with the white hair is the same, too."

"So, it's a story where these boys grow by battling enemies, huh? Just a minute If they're defeating enemies from both sides, then what happens at the end?"

Sakura frowned. "That's the problem. Look." She showed us the middle of the book, which showed the two boys without faces.

"What's up with this picture?"

"This is a strange picture," Yamato said.

"In this picture book, only the facing pages in the middle are incomplete," said Sakura.

"This is kind of creepy," said Naruto.

"He said it wasn't finished. But why isn't there a face drawn in?"

"Doesn't the guy with the black hair kind of look like Sai?"

"You're right. Did he draw himself?"

"Maybe he drew real events," I suggested. "He doesn't strike me as the imaginative type."

"Then who is this boy with the white hair?" said Naruto.

"Could it be- It's Sai's older brother?" Sakura said.

"He did mention having a brother," I said. As I looked at the book, I suddenly got a sick feeling. "Did they have to fight each other? Is that what Danzo's organization is all about?"

Yamato suddenly paused as if listening to something. "It appears my clone has located the hideout. Let's get going."

We continued on our way. Finally, we met up with Yamato's clone, who told us that Orochimaru's hideout was behind a rock. Yamato absorbed the clone and then gave us the remnants. We all swallowed one. Yamato said they would allow him to find us if we got separated. He then used his earth jutsu to create a hole in the ground so we could sneak into the hideout. We all got into the hole one by one.

I used my sensory abilities to track down Sai. I located him behind a locked door. Yamato used his wood jutsu to turn his finger into a key. It worked, and the door opened. We all barged in and confronted Sai, who was thankfully alone.

"I knew you'd be here," Sai said calmly, his eyes on Yamato. "I'd expect no less from the Anbu Black Ops under the direct command of the Hokage. To think I wouldn't be able to deceive you with that corpse."

"Now tell us everything," said Yamato. "What's this about?"

"You jerk!" Naruto growled. "Why did you betray us?"

"You shouldn't make too much of a commotion here," said Sai. "Things will get troublesome, you see."

"You jerk!" Naruto ran at him, but Sakura held him back.

"Naruto!" Sakura scolded. "Here, take this." She handed Sai his picture picture book. "It's yours, isn't it?"

"Thank you," Sai said, sounding sincere as he took the book back.

"It was an order from Danzo, right?" said Yamato. "Danzo has teamed up with Orochimaru and is attempting to do something. You were chosen to be the go-between for Danzo and Orochimaru. What're they planning? With Orochimaru, he's planning to once again destroy the Leaf Village. Isn't that right?"

"No, that's not-"

"I can tell right away that your smile is a lie!" Naruto said accusingly. "And I can tell right away that what you're saying is a lie!"

Sai did not appeared bothered by this. "Now that you have found me, my mission is considered a failure. I can't handle all of you guys by myself. And if you know that much then there's no point in hiding anything."

"Then tell us," I said.

Sai looked at Yamato. "You're exactly right. We're going to crush the current Leaf Village."

"Say what?" Naruto said in shock.

"The real mission I was given was to gain the favor of Orochimaru and create an opportunity for a collaboration in order to crush the Leaf Village."

"Do you know what you're saying? To do such a thing-"

"That's not all. I also have the duty of secretly sending information about Orochimaru to Lord Danzo. In other words, I have also been entrusted with a mission as a spy."

"Keep going," said Yamato. "Own up to everything you're hiding. So, basically what you're saying is, while proposing the collaboration with Orochimaru, you're trying to outflank him? You've been given such a dangerous mission. Orochimaru will definitely betray us once the Leaf Village has been crushed."

"It's to make sure we've always got the advantage."

"I get it," Sakura said. "Danzo wants to make the Leaf Village his own, huh? You made preparations for that all by yourself."

"The information I wrote in black ink transforms into small animals and carries the information out while protecting itself, you see. This ability of mine was valued highly, and so I was selected for this mission."

Sakura appeared affronted. "Many people will die, once again if things become turbulent in the Leaf Village! Do you even know why you're doing this?"

Sai appeared completely apathetic. "No idea. They're my orders."

"So Sai," Yamato said, "you-"

"Let me tell you one more thing. Sai is the name I was given just for this mission I'm nobody. I'm a tool for Lord Danzo. I don't exist. So, no matter what you say to me, it's pointless."

"That's despicable," I said, feeling a rush of anger. "Everyone exists. People are individuals with rights, emotions, and needs. Individuals matter."

"She's right," Sakura said. "I think you know that deep down. Tell me, why do you hold on to that picture book with such care?" Sai stared at her blankly. "The two kids on the cover are you and your older brother, right? You're holding on to that picture book with such care because it's the only thing that proves your existence, isn't it? You haven't been able to discard your emotions as completely as you say. Even Shinobi can't completely discard their emotions. As proof of that, when I handed the picture book to you earlier, you said thanks and took it. You were relieved to get back the picture book that can prove your existence."

Sai appeared puzzled. "Why does having this picture book prove my own existence?"

"The reason why you don't want to part with that book is that you can't forsake yourself as a younger brother. Do you know why? It's because your bonds with your older brother were that important to you! You don't want to erase the bonds you have with your older brother."

"Bonds..."

"Sorry, but we had a look inside the picture book. Only the picture in the center-facing pages is unfinished."

"Sai, I also know that you're from the Foundation," Yamato said. "And I also know that you received special training from Danzo in order to suppress your emotions."

"Special training?" said Naruto.

"It's the same as the evil practice once conducted in the Village Hidden in the Mist Blood Mist Village, in order to take away emotions."

"The Blood Mist Village," Sakura repeated.

"The Hidden Mist?" said Naruto. "That's where Zabuza's from!"

Yamato nodded. "Then a long time ago in the Village Hidden in the Mist Blood Mist Village, there was an extremely difficult obstacle in order to become ninja."

"You even know about that graduation exam?" said Sai.

"That graduation exam?" said Naruto. "What's that graduation exam?"

"Fellow students kill each other," Yamato replied. "Fellow comrades who all ate from the same bowl make teams of two and fight each other until one of them dies. Comrades who until that point would help each other, talk about their dreams and compete with each other."

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. "That is the most horrible thing I have ever heard. If you ask me, the Foundation is no better than organizations like the Akatsuki." I looked at Sai. "Did you really kill your friends?" He did not respond.

"Looking at the flow of the picture book, it appears you're defeating enemies and taking away their weapons and armor. On the facing pages at the center you will end up fighting your older brother. You killed your older brother-"

"No!" Sai said with a tinge of emotion. "I was planning on giving this to him. But when I was just about finished with the picture book, he died from sickness. In the Foundation, there were many children of broken families brought about by battle. He was one of those children. I became close with him, like a brother. We weren't related by blood, but he often said nice things about my drawings. In this picture book, what I wanted to show him most of all was what were supposed to be the final pictures on the facing pages. But after he died, I couldn't remember what I was going to draw."

Naruto leaned close to me and said in a low voice, "Do you believe him?"

I nodded. "He's been honest with us so far. Why would he lie about this? Besides, I agree with Sakura that he still has emotions. I could see them in his drawings. I used to suppress my emotions too, and I know you can't completely get rid of them."

"That may be, but we still cannot trust him," Yamato said. "You will have to come with us."

"Fine," Sai said apathetically.

We headed back outside, Yamato keeping a firm grip on Sai. Once we were out in the sun, Yamato made Sai stand near the rock. "Unfortunately, Sai, I'll be having my clone stand guard over you here."

"All right!" said Naruto. "Now it's back to square one. We're going to save Sasuke!"

"I wouldn't bother," said Sai. "I met Sasuke. Sasuke always has Orochimaru with him. That is to say, you'll have to fight Orochimaru once again. You'll end up being chopped up into pieces and turned into a test subject if you pursue recklessly. And-"

"And what?"

"Sasuke said he doesn't care about you. Sakura said you think of Sasuke like a brother. And yet... For a guy like that, why? Why are you trying to get him back going so far as to oppose Orochimaru and put your life at risk? Why is that? When nobody's ordering you to do so?"

"It's because we care about him," I said.

"I used to really hate Sasuke," Naruto said. "Even though, like me, he didn't have a family, he was elite, and I was always at the bottom. But it was actually fun being with him. He- He's one of the people who acknowledged me the most. Sasuke is my friend. It's a special bond I was finally able to make."

Sai appeared puzzled. "A bond. Even so... Even so, with Orochimaru as your opponent-"

"It doesn't matter who the opponent is! If my arms get torn off, I'll kick him down. If my legs get torn off, I'll bite him down. If my head gets torn off, I'll stare him down. If my eyes get torn out, I'll curse him in my grave! Even if I get chopped up into pieces I'll take Sasuke back from Orochimaru!"

"But why let yourself be led by your emotions like that?"

"It's more than that," I said. "Your emotions are important. They tell you what you value. Sasuke is family to us. Therefore, we will do anything to help him."

Sai tilted his head to the side. "Interesting..."

"We'll go after I create the guard," Yamato said. Before he could make a move, someone jumped out in front of us: Kabuto.